US visa wall for Palestinians: All applications suspended

The US administration under President Donald Trump has introduced a new restriction on those carrying Palestinian passports. According to a report by the New York Times citing 4 US officials familiar with the matter, Washington had previously suspended all visitor visas for Gazans. Following this decision, non-immigrant visa processing has now been completely halted.

INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE US TO EMBASSIES

In a written directive sent to all embassies on August 18, the US Department of State ordered that non-immigrant visas for individuals from the West Bank and the Palestinian diaspora should not be processed. This step covers all applications made for purposes such as education, medical treatment, business travel, and tourism.

VISA CRISIS AHEAD OF UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

On August 29, the US Department of State announced that the visas of Palestinian officials who were to attend the 80th United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York in September had also been canceled. In its statement, the Department said, "In accordance with US law, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has denied or revoked the visas of members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority ahead of the upcoming UN General Assembly."

Meanwhile, the US Department of State had announced on August 16 that it had stopped issuing all types of visitor visas to the people of Gaza. Thus, the Washington administration has gradually expanded the visa barrier against Palestinian passport holders.